Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at Grays Harbor College

Comparable allied health programs in Washington typically produce first-year earnings around $43,400, positioning graduates right at the state median but meaningfully above the $36,800 national benchmark. For students entering medical assisting and related support roles, this suggests Washington's healthcare labor market offers a genuine wage premium—roughly $6,500 more annually than the typical program nationwide. The estimated $18,200 debt load tracks slightly below both state and national medians, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.42 that indicates manageable repayment for most graduates.

The challenge is that Washington's allied health landscape shows significant performance variation. Top community college programs in the state—like Tacoma Community College and Highline College—report first-year earnings exceeding $50,000, suggesting that program quality, clinical partnerships, or regional healthcare demand create meaningful outcome differences. Whether Grays Harbor's rural coastal location limits access to higher-paying opportunities or simply reflects a smaller graduate cohort (the reason for data suppression) remains unclear.

For families considering this program, the estimated numbers suggest reasonable value if your student plans to work locally or understands they may need geographic flexibility to match the higher earnings seen at peer institutions. The debt burden appears manageable, but confirm what clinical training partnerships exist and where recent graduates have actually found employment—those specifics matter more than statewide estimates when evaluating a small program's true placement power.